Central falls short of team berths to state meet

~ The Tigers qualified two girls and two boys from Saturday's sectional meet.

Central freshman cross country runner Brittany Moreland missed breaking the 20-minute mark by just over a second Saturday.

But that could not spoil what was a fantastic day for Moreland, who finished sixth overall in the Class 4 sectional cross county meet at Jefferson Barracks Park in St. Louis County.

"I ran this course earlier this season at the Hancock meet, and I don't remember my exact time, but I know it was 21 something," Moreland said.

That kind of finish would not have sent her to state but her sixth-place finish Saturday did with a lot of room to spare. The top 30 individuals and top four teams from each sectional move on to next weekend's state meet in Jefferson City.

"I'm obviously happy about the way things turned out," Moreland said. "I usually am very nervous before a race, and I realize that we are running the most serious races right now. I just wanted to make it to state. That was all I was worried about."

A trip to state wasn't even on her mind when Moreland came out for the team in the summer.

"My goal was just to make the varsity team," Moreland said.

She has peaked in recent weeks, winning the SEMO Conference meet and finishing second in the district meet.

Moreland will have some company at Jefferson City from fellow freshman Veronica Schabbing, who finished 24th in 20:55.83.

The news was not all good for the Tigers, though, as senior Linnea Woldtvedt, who was the district champion, struggled from the start Saturday. She finished in 57th place (22:52.47).

Jackson was able to qualify one girl to state, as sophomore Amy Sterling finished 20th (20:50.27).

Marquette won the sectional team title with 45 points. Central, which had won the District 1 meet, was well back in sixth place. Jackson was seventh.

The Central boys received a spectacular race from senior John Kipper but there also was disappointment for the Tigers boys.

Kipper was fourth overall in 16:54.28. Junior Tyler Yeargain also qualified for the Tigers, finishing 16th (17:30.02).

But that was it for state qualifiers, as senior Dan Austin just missed with the dreaded 31st-place finish.

As a team, the Tigers missed by one place. They finished with 108 points, just seven behind fourth-place Eureka.

Parkway South won the team title with 45 points.

The Jackson boys advanced one runner to state, as freshman Greg Gibson was 18th (17:31.82).

Class 4 sectional

BOYS

Team results (top four advance to state) -- Parkway South 45, Marquette 74, Lafayette 91, Eureka 101, Cape Central 108, Fox 127, Lindbergh 163, Northwest 167.

Individuals (top 30 advance to state)

Central -- 4. John Kipper, 16:54.28; 16. Tyler Yeargain, 17:30.02; 31. Dan Austin, 17:49.24; 40. Bryan Schott, 18:09.56; 58. Dale Brannock, 18:52.68; 62. Eddie Glenn, 19:17.16; 66. Shawn Owens, 19:39.97.

Jackson -- 18. Greg Gibson, 17:31.82; 59. David Welker, 18:57.13.

GIRLS

Team results (top four advance to state) -- Marquette 45, Eureka 72, Parkway West 85, Rockwood Summit 86, Kirkwood 114, Cape Central 160, Jackson 185, Lindbergh 193, Fox 247, Seckman 278.

Individuals (top 30 advance to state)

Central -- 6. Brittany Moreland, 20:01.29; 24. Veronica Schabbing, 20:55.83; 46. Allison Dohogne, 22:18.88; 53. Liz Alberson, 22:31.21; 55. Alyx Waterman, 22:36.93; 57. Linnea Woldtvedt, 22:52.47; 74. Jessie Hahn, 24:47.13.

Jackson -- 20. Amy Sterling, 20:50.27; 38. Beth Barton, 21:31.47; 44. Nicole Parrish, 22:10.48; 51. Mandy Craven, 22:28.65; 61. Casey Hatton, 23:09.20; 66. Brytny Masters, 23:49.95; 70. Ashley Ptacek, 24:08.83.